Overview

A one-of-a-kind cookbook showcasing modern and authentic clay pot cooking from the premier expert on Mediterranean cuisines

Paula Wolfert is legendary for her expertise on and explorations of Mediterranean cooking. Now, Wolfert shares her inimitable passion for detail and insatiable curiosity about cultural traditions and innovations, with Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking.

Here, the self-confessed clay pot "junkie"-having collected in her travels...

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This Book

Overview

A one-of-a-kind cookbook showcasing modern and authentic clay pot cooking from the premier expert on Mediterranean cuisines

Paula Wolfert is legendary for her expertise on and explorations of Mediterranean cooking. Now, Wolfert shares her inimitable passion for detail and insatiable curiosity about cultural traditions and innovations, with Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking.

Here, the self-confessed clay pot "junkie"-having collected in her travels ceramic pots of all sorts: cazuelas, tagines, baking dishes, bean pots, Romertopf baking dishes, French diablos, ordinary casseroles, even Crockpots, which have a ceramic liner-shares recipes as vibrant as the Mediterranean itself along with the delightful stories behind the earthy pots, irresistible dishes, and outstanding cooks she has met along the way.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Beginning with a simple premise—“Food tastes better cooked in clay”—this single-themed cookbook is an illuminating treatise on a technique that's used throughout the Mediterranean but is still relatively obscure in U.S. kitchens. James Beard Award–winner Wolfert (The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen; The Cooking of Southwest France), who has studied and written about the region's cuisine for decades, has become passionate about earthenware pots. Wolfert claims that all food cooked in unglazed vessels has an earthy sweetness, and that when the vessel is dedicated to a certain food, its porous surface gains a seasoning or “memory” that enhances the flavor. Because these same characteristics make clay pots tricky to care for, Wolfert provides tips for cleaning and safety as well as plenty of sources for more information. What these dishes have in common is that they can be prepared, baked and brought to the table in their respective dishes—be it in the Spanish cazeula (orange-glazed pork belly), the Moroccan tagine (fish tagine with tomatoes, olives and preserved lemon) or the Turkish guvec (summer lamb and vegetable guvec). Wolfert is a true cook's author, and as her use of obscure ingredients (dried eggplant, sweet and sour plums, argan oil) and colorful anecdotes/additional ideas (say, grilling over a flowerpot) illustrate, this book is not for the casual home cook. But for those willing to tackle them, Wolfert's clay pot dishes do indeed merit the hype. Photos. (Oct.)

From the Publisher

Starred Review
Beginning with a simple premise—"Food tastes better cooked in clay"—this single-themed cookbook is an illuminating treatise on a technique that's used throughout the Mediterranean but is still relatively obscure in U.S. kitchens. James Beard Award–winner Wolfert (The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen; The Cooking of Southwest France), who has studied and written about the region's cuisine for decades, has become passionate about earthenware pots. Wolfert claims that all food cooked in unglazed vessels has an earthy sweetness, and that when the vessel is dedicated to a certain food, its porous surface gains a seasoning or “memory” that enhances the flavor. Because these same characteristics make clay pots tricky to care for, Wolfert provides tips for cleaning and safety as well as plenty of sources for more information. What these dishes have in common is that they can be prepared, baked and brought to the table in their respective dishes—be it in the Spanish cazeula (orange-glazed pork belly), the Moroccan tagine (fish tagine with tomatoes, olives and preserved lemon) or the Turkish guvec (summer lamb and vegetable guvec). Wolfert is a true cook's author, and as her use of obscure ingredients (dried eggplant, sweet and sour plums, argan oil) and colorful anecdotes/additional ideas (say, grilling over a flowerpot) illustrate, this book is not for the casual home cook. But for those willing to tackle them, Wolfert's clay pot dishes do indeed merit the hype. Photos. (Oct.)Starred Review (Publishers Weekly, September 7, 2009)

Related Subjects

Meet the Author

PAULA WOLFERT is an expert on Mediterranean food and the author of seven other cookbooks, including Mediterranean Cooking, The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen, and The Cooking of Southwest France. Her work has received the Julia Child Award, the M. F. K. Fisher Award, the James Beard Award, the Cook's Magazine Platinum Plate Award, and the Perigueux Award for Lifetime Achievement. In 2008, the James Beard Foundation inducted her work into the Cookbook Hall of Fame. A regular columnist for Food & Wine magazine, Wolfert lives in Sonoma, California. Her Web site is www.paula-wolfert.com. Her fans can also follow her via her Facebook/Clay Pot Cooking page and on twitter.com/Soumak.

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Customer Reviews

Stella14

Posted January 8, 2012

Very ambitious

This is a beautiful book. I only have one kind of clay pot, a Romertopf, This book gives recipes for many kinds of clay pots, which were of no help to me. Only a few recipes were written for my pot. But if you have tangines, ceramic pots, and more exotic cooking vessels, then this book is for you.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Wisdom Without the Graphical Assistance

Esteemed author, inventive recipes, but badly in need of drawings or photographs describing the shapes and look of ... Clay Pots. I had to look elsewhere just to see depictions of tagines or cazuelas, for example. A striking omission in my opinion, perhaps due to budget constraints from publisher...

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Great Gift

I gave this Book to my niece and nephew as a gift along with some clay pots to cook with. They rave about the book and how easy it is to follow the recipes and how good the food is. They have enjoyed using it to entertain at party's and family events, we've all really enjoyed the food. My next step is to buy a copy for myself.

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